Long, thick, luscious hair - we all want it, but it’s so hard to obtain, especially as we age. If only there was a handy supplement that we could take to help our hair…
Well, good news. Just as you can take vitamins that help your organs work well and keep your heart healthy, some nutrients also help your hair stay healthy.
One of the top ways to improve your hair health is to supplement with collagen for hair.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and the main structural protein of connective tissue.[1]
Collagen is a high-quality protein that contains high levels of amino acids. There are three primary amino acids that compose collagen.
Proline is one of collagen’s main components. In fact, fifty percent of all the proline in our bodies comes from collagen.
A different amino acid, hydroxyproline, is another main component of collagen. Lastly, collagen’s third amino acid is glycine, which helps provide muscular energy.
Other amino acids in collagen include arginine, leucine, tyrosine, alanine, glutamine, valine, isoleucine, and histidine.
The word collagen is from the Greek word “kolla,” meaning glue. These protein compounds act as a binding agent for your cells and are the building blocks of skin, hair, bones, joints, and ligaments.
When taking a supplement to increase the collagen in your body, you will find that they are all listed as collagen peptides. Collagen peptides are the bioavailable forms of collagen.
Gelatin also contains collagen, but collagen peptides are already broken down into smaller pieces that dissolve easily. That is why collagen peptides are the choice of supplementation.
Types of Collagen
There are sixteen different collagen types, but only four major types are essential for the human body.
Type I collagen composes about 90 percent of our body’s collagen supply. These fibrous collagens can stretch very far without being broken. Type II is very similar to the first, but is just a bit more loosely packed.
Type III supports the organs, muscles, and arteries, and Type V holds the first three types together as a binder. They all string together like a helix of strength.
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Hair Growth Benefits of Collagen
Although collagen provides benefits to many different parts of the body, many people take collagen powder to produce healthy hair. How does this work?
Collagen peptides deliver healthier hair in a few different ways.
Creates New Hair Follicles
Collagen provides amino acids such as proline that the body uses to build proteins. Keratin is the main protein that builds new hair follicles.
Our bodies shed hair regularly, and we need to grow new hair to combat this thinning hair, or we may eventually go bald. Collagen supplementation aids in this endeavor.
Fights Against Free Radical Damage to Your Hair
We can damage our hair easily throughout our daily lives by subjecting it to free radicals. Smoking, pollution, unhealthy eating, stress, and chemicals in our hair products all cause damage.
This damage causes hair loss and hair damage that can make our hair dull, dry, and eventually just fall out.
The antioxidants present in collagen help to protect against this damage.
Keeps Our Hair Healthy and Youthful
This anti-aging ability will keep your hair vibrant and robust.
Collagen can also boost luster and shine with keratin production. Keratin creates the hair’s outer layer, and without it, your hair follicles are weak and dull.
Collagen provides amino acids that support the quality of your hair.
How? It thickens the hair follicle by providing more building blocks (amino acids) to make hair strands.
Combat Hair Loss With Collagen Supplements
The weakening of the skin that holds the hair into the scalp causes hair loss. The dermis, or inner layer of the skin, weakens over time as our bodies create less collagen.
Collagen supplements will boost your collagen availability and tighten the skin holding the hair follicles into the scalp. With these stronger roots, you will notice less hair fall.
Natural Sources of Collagen
Aside from collagen supplementation, you can find collagen in food. The most popular natural source of collagen is bone broth.
Because bone broth is animal-derived, it also offers vitamins and minerals from the bones. It delivers more health benefits than boosting collagen production.
Bone broth can also help with weight loss because the broth fills you up with a low-calorie source of protein, and the liquid makes you feel full.
Gelatin is another food that contains collagen. But as we already discussed, the molecules of collagen in gelatin are hard for the body to absorb.
Chicken and pork skins also contain collagen. You can fry these and make a puffed snack called chicharrones that are very popular with gluten-free and diet followers as a substitute for potato chips.
You can also boost your natural collagen production in the body by ensuring that you get enough vitamin C, glycine, copper, and proline in your diet.[2] These are the nutrients your body needs to produce collagen.
Extra Benefits of Collagen
Collagen performs more abilities in the body than just building beautiful, thick hair. Because collagen is an abundant protein, it works in many different ways within the body.
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Helps to Build Muscle When Strength Training
Many who look to increase strength through heavy lifting and exercise often add vital protein supplements to their diets. It feeds their muscles and improves their results. The most popular form of protein supplementation is whey protein.
Studies show that collagen peptides effectively build muscle when used in conjunction with a progressive resistance training routine. Collagen is also known to strengthen the connective tissue between muscles and bones.
Could this provide an even better option for strength training that will also reduce the chances of injury? A deeper look into this hypothesis would be interesting.
Creates Youthful Skin
Collagen peptide supplementation, along with vitamin E, improves skin elasticity, moisture, and density.
The signs of aging in the skin are due to the lack of skin elasticity. The glue-like structure of collagen makes your skin bouncy and youthful.
Along with collagen, many people add hyaluronic acid to their skincare regimen. With the added benefits of this extra moisture, your skin may feel and look years younger.
Supports Joint Comfort
Taking a daily collagen supplement may help support joint comfort.
In studies, hydrolyzed collagen has been looked at for its role in supporting healthy joint cartilage.
Supports Bone Health
Collagen may help support bone strength as part of age-related bone loss, otherwise known as osteoporosis. This degenerative disease is mostly due to the body’s inability to continue with bone mass upkeep.
In a 12-month trial, collagen peptides helped support bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.[3]
Good For Your Heart
Collagen amino acids are vital proteins that help keep blood vessels strong and healthy.
Collagen may help support healthy, flexible arteries.
The Best Collagen Supplements
There are so many different types and products to choose from in the collagen market. How do you know which to purchase?
Of course, you will want one that strengthens, nourishes, and promotes hair growth. The right collagen supplement has supporting ingredients to allow collagen to work its magic.
The most potent collagen easily absorbed by the body is all-natural, hydrolyzed grass-fed bovine collagen peptides.
Our hair tonic is composed of this high-quality collagen and many other powerful ingredients to give you the healthiest hair, skin, and nails.
These ingredients include but aren’t limited to biotin, bamboo, hyaluronic acid, sea kelp, and vitamin C.
Additional Ways to Have Healthy Hair
You can take an endless amount of supplements to try for healthy hair, but if you don’t have healthy habits that care for and protect hair, it’s pointless.
To keep your hair as shiny and strong as possible, you have to take additional steps. Follow these healthy hair habits and take collagen peptides, and you’ll have envious hair.
Sun Protection
People are well informed of the harm that the sun poses to your skin. And we often take precautions to protect our skin from that damage.
Always strive to protect your hair from the sun’s UV rays, as they can strip your hair of its vitality and health.
UV damage breaks down collagen and elastin, two vital proteins of the hair.
Whenever you go out in the sun for longer than twenty minutes, protect your hair with a hat or scarf.
Eat Healthier
Eating healthier not only helps you maintain a healthy weight and have plenty of energy, but it also allows you to have natural beauty.
Cut down on sugar and refined carbs as part of a healthy diet for skin and hair.
Sugar and carbs break down collagen and elastin, negatively affecting the quality of your skin and hair.
Biotin
This vitamin, also known as B7, helps the body make keratin, the main protein in hair.
Vitamins and Minerals Can Help
There are a few essential vitamins and minerals for hair health. Zinc and copper are two minerals that aid in the protection and health of your hair and collagen production.
B vitamins and vitamin C also support collagen’s functions in the hair and will boost the strength of follicles and shafts.
Massage Your Scalp
Massaging your scalp can stimulate blood to rush to the area delivering nutrients to the hair follicles.
When you massage your scalp, you can provide an added benefit by using healthy oils. Choose from coconut, olive, and Jamaican black castor oils to provide moisture and strength to the hair follicles.
Be Kind to Your Hair
When it comes to hair health, our habits can be the most damaging factor. The styling and treatment of our hair can do more damage than pollution alone.
Protect your hair from damaging habits to keep your hair from falling out, looking dull, breaking into split ends, and even going grey.
Here are a few hair habits that you should adopt.
Don’t Overheat Your Hair, Ever
When you can, air-dry your hair to help protect it from any heat damage. When you must use a heat styling tool, such as a hair dryer or curling iron, use a high-quality thermal protectant spray beforehand.
Don’t Overprocess Your Hair
If you want healthy, vibrant hair, don’t change your hair color dramatically. Your natural color is your best option but if you must dye your hair, choose a color within three shades of your current color.
Leave your hair down as much as possible to prevent breakage from hair elastics or clips.
Collagen is one of our bodies’ main building blocks. Normally, we have plenty to go around, but our bodies become less adept at producing this essential protein as we age. This lack of collagen affects the quality of our hair.
Our hair health also takes a hit with pollution, our bad habits, and damaging sun effects. Since our hair is probably the first thing people see, it can be a significant factor in our physical appearance.
If you want to have hair that others envy, collagen can help you achieve that goal. Collagen peptides have also been shown to support nail growth and reduce broken nails, alongside other benefits, making collagen supplementation a worthwhile investment.[4]
The right collagen supplement will also have secondary ingredients to promote better uptake and increased hair benefits, which is precisely what our Hair Tonic contains. Add this supplement to your daily routine and enjoy beautiful, shiny hair every day.
Sources
- Shoulders MD, Raines RT Collagen structure and stability. Annu Rev Biochem. 2009. PubMed
- Pullar JM, Carr AC, Vissers MCM The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. Nutrients. 2017. PubMed
- König D, Oesser S, Scharla S, et al. Specific Collagen Peptides Improve Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in Postmenopausal Women-A Randomized Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2018. PubMed
- Hexsel D, Zague V, Schunck M, et al. Oral supplementation with specific bioactive collagen peptides improves nail growth and reduces symptoms of brittle nails. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2017. PubMed
